Improvement in harness



E. c. PATTERSON.

improvement in Harness.

No. 132,855. Patented Nov.5,18-72 Wrr'usssss AM PHOTUUFHOGRAFHIG CQNJYOSBUHNELS PROCESS) ELIAS O. PATTERSON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARNESS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 13%,855, dated November 5, 1872.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIAS O. PATTERSON, of the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Wagon or Buggy Harness; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, sufiicient to enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to understand, construct, and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improvement, showing the manner of attaching it to the shafts, and the girth, back-band, yoke, breast-strap, and hold-back strap. Fig. 2 represents a sectional bottom view of the outward ends of the shafts, sockets, yoke, and breast -strap, and the manner of connecting them, and of extending and shortening the shafts. Fig. 3 represents a sectional side view of the outer end of one of the shafts, socket, the mode of joining them, and the manner of connecting the yoke with the socket.

My invention relates to that kind of harness manufactured without breeching or traces, but has the impelling force applied directly to a breast-strap, which passes across, connecting the outward ends of the thills and the holdback to the yoke and girth. The object of my invention is to relieve the horse of the' chafing and friction of the common harness by superseding the traces, breeching, and other trappings, and at the same time furnish the public with a more serviceable and cheaper harness. Reference is had to the drawing and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

O O is the yoke, showing its flexure and the coil with the ends inserted in the sockets B B. f is theback-band g, the girth; h is the breast or draft strap; 70, the hold-back strap; 1) p p, recesses in the under side of the sockets, into which a washer, n, is placed, slipped over a screw, 0, made fast to the yoke O O, and all held firmly by the nut m. The thills A A are constructed in the usual shape and size, and the common material for buggy thills, the outer ends of which are prepared for the sockets B B. The sockets are made of any metal to suit the taste of the designer, and the diameter optional, from one to two inches, and the length from six to twelve inches, as the operand tight for use.

ator may choose. The sockets have a slot on the under side one-fourth of an inch wide, ex-

tending from four to six inches inward from the outward end, and are recessed at regular intervals of one to two inches on the under side across the slot, so as to receive a washer, a. The ends of the yoke G are fitted to the sockets B B, and screw-bolts 0 0 are fitted into the same near the ends, passing through the metal, projecting far enough to receive the washer a and the nut m. The end of the yoke O, with the screw-bolt 0, is inserted in the slot in the under side of the sockets B B at "r, and forced in opposite to either of the recesses 12 p p, as may be desired to suit the length of the horse to be engaged to the vehicle, the washer adjusted to fit the recess prepared for it, and the nut is'put on and turned down until the several parts are firm The main object of the coil in the middle of the front part of the yoke is to give it elasticity to relieve it of rigidity and stiffness, to make it pliant and yielding,

the recoil or spring of which will make it easier and less fatiguing for the horse to travel in, and decrease the liability to chafing and friction of the breast-strap and other parts of the harness. To add still more to the pliability and elasticity. of the yoke, there may be two coils instead of one, a coil at each end of the yoke at (J O; or these may be in addition to the one in the middle, making three coils; or there may be a succession of coils or twists for the whole length of the yoke, should it be thought they or either of them would add to the effect or comfort of the horse attached.

I make my yoke of round steel three-eighths to five-eighths of an inch in diameter, but am not confined to any size, as, if I find it preferable, I use larger or smaller ones than these sizes,

or any shape that seems to be desirable. The girth, back-band, breast, and hold-back straps are all of the ordinary size, and the girth and back-band are attached in the usual manner. The breast-strap is attached to each end of the yoke, as at 1' r. The hold-back strap has one end affixed to the middle of the yoke and the other end to the girth by any of the ordinary ways dictated by the choice of the operator.

My. improvement has three advantages over the common harness: First, the elasticity of will commend it to the favor of the public.

Having described and specified my improvement herein above, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The yoke O with its coil or coils, in com. bination with the sockets B B, substantially as and for the purposes herein described and specified.

2. The sockets B 'B, in combination with slots cc and recesses 12 p p, substantiallyas and for the purposes herein described and specified.

3. In combination with the yoke G and sockets B B, the screw-bolt 0, with the Washer 12 and nut m, substantially as and for the purposes herein described and specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand this 10th day of September, 1872.

ELIAS O. PATTERSON. Witnesses:

B. F. PARSONS, W. G. BARNES. 

